Scouting Prairie Ridge at Crystal Lake South
Prairie Ridge (3-0) at Crystal Lake South (3-0)
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday at Ken Bruhn Field
Last year: Crystal Lake South 38, Prairie Ridge 7
Last week: Crystal Lake South 34, Grayslake Central 3; Prairie Ridge 33, Jacobs 6
Outlook: Expect a playoff atmosphere on the south side of Crystal Lake as these town rivals, both state ranked, clash for bragging rights in what shapes up to be the best matchup in McHenry County this season. The Gators are the No. 6 team in Class 7A in this week's AP poll; The Wolves are ranked No. 5 in Class 6A. "It's a big game because a lot of these guys played in the (Crystal Lake) Raiders feeder program together and know each other well," CL South coach Chuck Ahsmann said. "It's like playing your brother in Monopoly - if you lose, you'll never hear the end of it." CL South has won the last six meetings between the District 155 schools and leads the all-time series 7-4. Prairie Ridge, which reached a Class 6A semifinal last season, has steamrolled Woodstock (55-0), talented Crystal Lake Central (26-6) and resurgent Jacobs (33-6). Ahsmann, who calls the Gators' defense, said his team has experience defending PR's triple option, but fullback Connor Greenwald and quarterback Steven Covalt add new dimensions to the familiar attack. They have combined for nearly 500 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns. "Their fullback is bigger than the kids they've used in the past and their quarterback has different abilities than the one they had last year (Jon Williams)," Ashmann said. "Just when you think you have their offense figured out, different athletes change it." The Gators battled the flu this week. Leading rusher Bolek Mikulec has recovered from a bruise that forced him to leave last week's win, but the flu bug leaves him questionable for the Prairie Ridge game, Ahsmann said. If he can't go, the Gators will use a committee of ball carriers. CL South can't afford another slow start against the fast-starting Wolves. CL South has outscored its opponents 24-12 in first halves, whereas, PR has outscored its opponents 94-6 before halftime. The Gators have dominated second halves by a margin of 61-6.